Unwinding stand and arm positioner therefor



Jan'. 28, 1969 L. A. MOORE UNWINDING STAND AND ARM POSITIONER THEREFOR med ocr. 12, 196e Jan. 2s, 1969 L. A. MOORE 3,424,394

v UNWINDING STAND AND ARM POSITIONER THEREFOR l Filed oct. 12, 96e sheet 2 f 4 azafezzae Moore Jan.' 28, 1969 L.. A. MOORE 3,424,394

UNWNDING STAND AND ARM PSITIONER THEREFOR med oct. 12, 196e 5 sheet 3 of 4 BY 2 l I. r Z ATTORNEYS A L. A. MOORE 3,424,394

UNWINDING STAND AND ARM POSITIONER THEREFOR Jan. 28, 1969 Sheet Filed OC. 12. 196

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` NVEN'IUR. zezzcez More mf' Z y J @l :Y r s Af/VURA/EYS United States Patent O "ice 15 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Shaftless unwinder for rolls of paper and the like, in which angularly movable retractible supporting arms are provided to engage opposite ends of a roll of paper for unwinding. The arms are supported on base arms pivoted to the support shaft for the support and positioner arms and supported for movement along the ground on rollers. A pre-tension adjustment screw is provided for moving the base arms and support and positioner arms toward and from each other to bring the support arms into and out of engagement with a roll of paper. The adjustment screw is driven by a stalling motor maintaining the support and positioner arms in engagement with the roll of paper.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple and improved form of shaftless unwinder for rolls of paper and the like arranged with a view toward loading the roll on the stand either from an end or side of the stand.

An-other object of the invention is to improve upon the shaftless unw-inders for paper and the like heretofore in use, by providing retractible support and positioning arms for the roll of paper, supported on base arms riding along the ground on rollers, in which the support arms and base arms are guided for movement toward and from each other to engage and release a roll of paper and in which the supporting and base arms are retractible to accommodate the loading of a roll of paper from either the side or end of the unwinder.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a shaftless unwinder for paper and the like in which support and base arms are supported on a cross shaft for movement toward and from each other and guiding and maintaining the arms in alignment in a cross machine direction and in which the support and base arms are retractible to accommodate the transfer of a roll of paper into a pick-up position by a conveyor or like transfer means, and arranged with a view toward economy in construction, eiciency in operation and requiring a minimum amount of loor space.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved unwinding stand for rolls of paper and the like, in which the roll is supported on positioner arms translationally movable toward the r-oll to grip and hold the roll for unwinding and arranged with a view toward simplifying and increasing the life of the positioning and holding means for the supporting arms of the stand by utilizing a single positioning member for the two arms and maintaining the positioning member under constant tension.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and improved form of positioning vand holding means Patented Jan. 28, 1969 for the supporting arms of an unwinding stand for rolls of paper and the like, arranged with a view toward utmost efficiency in construction and operation, with a resultant reduction in cost and maintenance of the positioning means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of positioning means for the supporting and positioning arms of an unwinding stand supporting rolls of paper for unwinding, in which a pretensioned screw is provided for positioning the supporting arms into their roll supporting positions, and wherein the screw is rotatably driven by a stalling motor, stalling when the arms are in gripping engagement with the roll and locking the arms in this position and taking up on wear by stalling of the motor, continually exerting an inward force on the arms.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simplified form of positioning means for the support and positioning arms of an unwinder, in the form of a single pretensioned positioning screw having oppositely threaded portions adjacent each supporting arm, with positioner nuts threaded thereon and mounted on the supporting arms, for moving the arms toward and from each other upon rotation of the screw, in which an air motor drive is provided for the screw and providing positive locking of the arms in their roll gripping positions by stalling of the motor.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings where- FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of an unwinding stand constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the unwinding stand shown in FIGURE 1, with the roll support arms shown in an operative position and supporting a roll of paper for un- Winding;

FIGURE 3 is a view somewhat similar to FIGURE 2, drawn to a reduced scale, and showing the roll support and positioner arms in retracted positions;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the base arm of the unwinding stand in an upright position out of the way of a roll of paper, to be loaded onto the stand from the end thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a view of one end portion of the positioner screw, showing the drive motor therefor, with the drive housing and one of the positioner nuts shown in section; and

FIGURE 6 is a view of the opposite end portion of the positioner screw shown in FIGURE 5, with the opposite positioner nut and bearing support for the end of the screw shown in section.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 an unwinding stand 9 for rolls of paper, plastic, cloth and the like in association with a series of spaced parallel roll supporting rollers 10, 10 extending along the front portion of the stand and perpendicular to the aXis of a roll of paper 11. The rollers 10, 10 may be freely rotatable or may be driven by power to form a means for loading the roll of paper from the end of the stand. The unwinding stand 9 generally includes a main cross shaft 12 journalled adjacent its opposite ends in bearing housings 13, 13 mounted on bases 14, 14, which may be secured to a suitable foundation for the unwinding stand in a conventional manner and not herein shown or described since it forms no part of the present invention. The main cross shaft 12 is suitably held from rotational movement and the bearings (not shown) in the bearing housings 13, 13 support said shaft for axial movement to compensate for irregularities in the web under the control of suitable edge sensing means (not shown). A fluid pressure cylinder 12a suitably connected to an end of said shaft is provided to oscillatibly move said shaft.

The main shaft 12 has base arms 15, 15 pivotally mounted thereon and extending along opposite sides of main support and positioning arms 16, 16. The base arms 15, 15 and support and positioning arms 16, 16 are also translationally movable along the shaft 12 to bring the support and positioning arms 16, 16 into position to grip and elevate a roll of paper 11 for unwinding.

Lead off arms 17, 17 are mounted on the shaft 12 on the outsides of the base arms 15, 15 and adjacent the insides of the pillow blocks 13, 13. The arms 17, 17 extend angularly upwardly of the shaft 12 in an Opposite direction from the arms 16, 16 and are xed from movement about and along said shaft.

The roll support and positioning arms 16, 16 form mountings at their free ends for rotatable stub shafts 18, 18, supporting a roll of paper 11 for unwinding. The shafts 18, 1S usually support a core 19, extending through the center of the roll, through chucks (not shown) in a conventional manner. The chucks and core are no part of the present invention so need not herein be shown or described further.

The base arms 15, 15 are mounted on the cross shaft 12 for slidable movement therealong, and for movement about the axis of said shaft, and are supported at their forward ends for movement along the ground on rollers 10, 10. The base arms 15, 15 form supports for the roll support and positioning arms 16, 16 and the roll of paper 11 mounted thereon, through uid pressure jacks 20, 20 pivotally connected between said base arms and said roll support and positioner arms 16, 16 on the cross shaft 12 and the rollers 22, 22.

The uid pressure jacks 20, 20 are pivotally connected between the base arms 15, 15 and the main support and positioning arms 16, 16 and serve to hold said main support and positioning arms in position and to transmit the weight of the roll of paper to the base arms 16, 16. The fluid pressure jacks 20, 20 also serve to lower the main support and positioning arms 16, 16 about the axis of the shaft 12, in position to pick up a roll of paper and to raise the arms 16, 16 into the roll supporting unwinding position shown in FIGURE 2. Each Huid jack 20 is shown as including a cylinder 21 transversely pivoted at its head end to an associated support arm 16, adjacent the outer end thereof, and as having a piston rod 24 extendible therefrom and extending between the sides of the base arm 15 and transversely pivoted thereto on a pivot pin 25. The jacks 20, 20 may be air or hydraulically operated jacks controlled by suitable valve means (not shown). The control for the jacks 20, 20 may be conventional and is no part of the present invention, so need not herein be shown or described further.

The arms 17, 17 are shown as having bearing supports 26, 26 at their outer ends, forming supports for shafts 27, 27 extending from opposite ends of a lead olf roll 28 and supporting said lead off roll for free rotation. The web trained from the roll of paper 11 may be trained over the lead off roll 28 when unwinding from the bottom of the roll, or under said lead off when unwinding from the top of the roll of paper.

The bearing supports 26, 26 are shown as being mounted on the outer ends of shafts 29 and 29a mounted in the arms 17, 17 and extending upwardly therefrom. The shaft 29 is moved with respect to the associated arm by a hand wheel 29b, through a suitable drive arrangement which may be of the self-locking type, locking the shaft 29, in position when pressure is relieved from the hand wheel. This enables the lead olf roll 28 to be aligned with the plane of the web. The means for adjusting the shaft 29 by the hand wheel 29h is no part of the present invention so need not herein be shown or described further.

While the arms 17 are shown as held from pivotal movement with respect to the shaft 12, in one form of the invention, said arms will be pivoted to the shaft 12 and locked to pivot with the arms 16 so as to maintain a constant pay off position relative to the center of the roll 11 on the arms 16.

Referring now to the means for translationally moving the base arms 15, 15 and support and positioner arms 16, 16 along the shaft 12 to bring the stub shafts 18, 18 and chucks (not shown) thereon to grip the core 19 and support a roll of paper 11 for unwinding, a positioner shaft or screw 30 is rotatably mounted adjacent its opposite ends in bearing housings 31 and 32, mounted on the arms 17, 17 and held from translational movement by said arms.

The positioner shaft or screw 30 is shown in FIG- URES l, 2 and 3 as being a continuous shaft having spaced oppositely threaded portions 33, 33 extending in opposite directions from the center thereof. The oppositely threaded portions 33, 33 extend along positioner slides 34, 34 slidably mounted on the shaft 12. The slides 34, 34 are in the form of yokes and have arm portions 35, 35 extending along opposite sides of the base arms 15. The positioner slides 34 have positioner nuts 36, 36 mounted thereon and threaded on the oppositely threaded portions 33 of the positioner shaft 30, for translationally moving the base arms 15, 15 supported at their outer ends on the rollers 22, 22, and the roll supporting and positioning arms 16, 16 toward each other to grip and support a roll of paper 11 for unwinding as the screw 30 is rotated in one direction and the roll of paper is gripped and then elevated into an unwinding position, such as the position shown in FIGURE 2. Rotation of the positioner screw 30 in an opposite direction will release the arms 16, 16 and stub shafts 18, 18 from supporting engagement with the core 19, and permit removal of the core in an obvious manner.

As shown in FIGURE 5 the bearing housing 31 in addition to forming a bearing housing forms a coupling housing for housin-g a coupling sleeve 39 coupling a splined or keyed end of the positioner screw 30 with the splined or keyed end of a coaxial motor shaft 40 of a positioner motor 41. The motor 41 closes the open end of the housing 31 and is mounted on the end of said housing on a mounting ring, secured to said housing and motor in a conventional manner.

The motor 41 may be an air or hydraulic motor of a type that will stall when the roll 11 is securely gripped by the arms 16, 16, and will thereby positively lock the stub shafts 18, 18 in supporting engagement with the core 19 and roll 11 and form a self take up, taking up for wear on the core 19.

The bearing housing 31 has an inner end wall 41a having a thrust bearing 42 partially recessed therein. A spacer 43 on the positioner shaft 30 abuts the inner race of the thrust bearing 42 and spaces said thrust bearing from an anti-friction bearing 45, forming a radial bearing support for said positioner screw or shaft 30.

The opposite bearing housing 32 has an inner end wall 46 recessed to receive the race of an axial thrust bearing 47, like the thrust bearing 42. The opposite race of the thrust bearin-g 42 is abutted by a spacer 48 spacing the bearing 47 from an anti-friction radial bearing 49, forming a bearing support for the positioner shaft or screw.

The positioner screw 30 is pretensioned or loaded to remain in constant tension by lock nuts 50y threaded on one end thereof within the housing 31, and lock nuts 51 threaded on the opposite end thereof and extending within the housing 32. As shown in FIGURE 6 the lock nuts 50 are locked in position by a lock washer 53 having at least one inner inturned tang 54, shown as being bent inwardly to extend within a key slot 55 and under the inner race of the anti-friction bearing 45. The lock washer 53 also has outer tangs 56 bent at right angles to the body portion of the washer to extend within slots 57 formed in the inner lock nut 50. A similar lock washer 59 locks the lock nuts 51 in position. When initially installing the screw 30, the lock nuts 50 and 51 are taken up a predetermined amount to preload the screw to :remain in constant tension. The nuts are then locked in position by the lock washers 53 and 59.

The bearing housings 31 and 32 may abut outwardly facing pads 61 and 62 respectively, formed integrally with the arms 17, 17 and may be located with respect to said pads, as by dowel pins 63 and 64 respectively. Shims may be placed between the bearing pads 61 and 62 and the bearing housings 31 and 32, to properly align the bearing housings, while machine screws 65 and 66 may secure the respective bearing housings 31 and 32 to the bearing pads 61 and 62.

The positioner nuts 36, 36 are shown in FIGURE l as abutting ledges 67 extending outwardly of the positioner slides 34, 34 and shown as being formed integrally therewith. Dowels 69 extend through said positioner nuts on opposite sides of the shaft 30 and locate said positioner nuts on the pads 67, while cap or machine screws 70 are provided to secure said positioner nuts in position on the ledges 67. Shims (not shown) may be disposed between said positioner nuts and said ledges to accurately align said positioner nuts and free the shaft 30 from bending.

It may be seen from the foregoing, that the support arms 16, 16 supported on the base arms 15, 15 through the hydraulic jacks 20, 20 are moved toward and from each other by the air motor 41 to bring the stub shafts 18, 18 into gripping engagement with the core 19 of a roll, and to support the roll for controlled unwinding. It may further be seen that when gripping a roll, the adjustment screw 30 driven by the motor 41 may translationally move the arms 16, 16 toward each other until the roll is securely gripped. The motor 41 then will stall out and positively lock the arms 16, 16 in `gripping engagement with the roll and exert a continual take up pressure on the roll as long as pressure is maintained on the motor 41.

Thus, as the core may wear, the arms 16, 16 will continue to move inwardly to take care of this wear, and since the adjustment screw is a one piece screw preloaded to remain in constant tension, a smaller diameter screw may be used than heretofore, and maintenance of the screw and adjusting mechanism for the arms 16, 16 is materially reduced.

The rollers 10, 10 are mounted at their ends in channels 23 of a frame 23a, supporting said rollers, with their peripheries at floor level. Said rollers may thus support and accommodate a roll 11 to be moved endwise to the unwinding stand, to be gripped by and picked up by the support and positioner arms 16, 16, and supported in an unwinding position, as shown in FIGURE 2.

While I have herein shown a series of rollers, which may be in the form of a roller conveyor for supporting and moving a roll of paper endwise into position to be unwound, it should be understood that rollers need not necessarily be used in cooperation with the unwinding stand, but that a conventional roll supporting conveyor may be substituted for the rollers if desired.

In FIGURE 3 I have shown the main support and positionarms 16, 16 in a retracted position with the arms 16, 16 resting on the base arms 15 and the hydraulic jack 20 in its extreme retracted position. The arms 16 may be in this position when the unwinding stand is not in use, or when placing a roll between said arms when it is desired to load the roll from the end rather than the side of the unwinder, as where a roll of paper may be transferred to the unwinder by a lifting apparatus of a conventional form. When the positioner arms 16 are in the position shown in FIGURE 3, they may be elevated by the admission of uid under pressure to the piston .rod ends of the cylinders 21 to elevate the arms to position the centers of the shafts 18 concentric with the center of the roll. At this time the stalling motor 41 may be put into operation to rotate the positioner shaft 30 to move the arms 16, 16 toward each other into gripping engagement with the core 19. The arms 16, 16 may then be raised to lift and support the roll of paper in an unwinding position such as is shown in FIGURE 2.

When a roll of paper is loaded by endwise movement into the unwinding stand along the rollers 10, 10, either one or lboth or the main support and positioner arms 16 may be moved upwardly into the retracted position shown in FIGURE 4, along the lead oftr roll 28 out of the way of the roll of paper. This may be done manually. This will raise base arms 15 with the positioner arms 16, and assuming the hydraulic jack is in its extended position, Huid under pressure may be admitted to the piston rod end of the cylinder 21, t-o retract the base arm 15 to clear the roll of paper and accommodate the roll of paper to be moved into position along the rollers 10, 10 between the main support and positioner arms 16, 16. yThe lhase arms 15, 15 may then be lowered to engage the rollers 22 with the anges of the channels 22a of the roller frame 23. This will also swing the main support and positioner arms 16 downwardly with the base arms. Fluid under pressure may then be admitted to the hydraulic jacks 20, to center the shafts 18 with the center of the roll 11 `and core 19, at which time iluid under pressure may ybe admitted to the positioner motor 41 to drive the pos-itioner shaft 30 to move the stub shafts 18, 18 and chucks thereon to come into gripping engagement with the core 19. The positioner arms 16 may then be elevated by the hydraulic jacks 20 to support the roll of paper 11 in an unwinding position, such as is shown in FIGURE 2.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a roll of paper may be loaded onto the unwinding stand either in an endwise or sidewise direction or may be lifted and lowered between the arms 16 and that the roll of paper may be gripped and elevated into an unwinding position in a simple and expeditious manner by operation of the hydraulic j acks 20 and the positioner screw 30, driven by the positioner motor 41 to exert a continued inward pressure on the core 19 during the entire unwinding operation and as long as pressure is maintained on the motor 41.

It may further be seen that a simple and compact form of Winder has been provided which takes up a minimum amount of space and is particularly adapted for endwise loading along rollers or by a conveyor, but which may be loaded in any conventional manner.

It should further be understood that a suitable braking means (not shown) may be provided t-o retard rotation of the stub shafts 18, 18 and the roll of paper supported thereon to maintain the web unwound from the roll under the proper tension andy to prevent the formation of slack in the roll by the tendency of the roll to turn faster than linear travel of the web being unwound from the roll. The breaking means may be of any conventional form and is no part of the present invention so need not herein be shown or described. v

While I have herein shown and described one form in which the invention may be embodied, it may readily be understood that various variations and modifications in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. An unwinder stand for rolls of paper and the like comprising:

a base frame,

a pair of positioner arms mounted on said base frame for adjustable movement about a horizontal transverse axis and for movement toward and from each other along said axis,

a roll supporting stub shaft journalled on each positioner arm and extending inwardly therefrom,

means bringing said positioner arms into and out of roll supporting positions and holding said arms in roll supporting positions,

said means also accommodating angular upward retractible movement of said positioner arms,

and said last mentioned means being movable upwardly along said positioner arms to accommodate endwise loading of a roll of paper into position between said positioner arms.

2. The structure of claim 1,

wherein the means holding the positioner arms in roll supporting positions comprise base arms supported for movement along the floor and extensible and retractible support means pivotally connected between the base arms and the main positioner arms adjacent the outer ends thereof.

3. The structure of claim 2,

wherein the extensible land retractible support means comprise fluid pressure jacks pivotally connected between said base arms Iand said positioner arms.

4. The structure of claim 2,

wherein the base frame includes a horizontal shaft supported adjacent the ground,

wherein the base arms and positioner arms are mounted on said shaft for pivotal movement thereabout and for translational movement toward and from each other,

and wherein the means for moving said main support and positioner arms with respect to said base arms comprise fluid pressure operated cylinders and pistons transmitting the weight of the roll to said base arms.

5. The structure of claim 4,

wherein the base arms have rollers journalled adjacent the outer ends thereof supporting the outer ends of said base arms for movement along the oor.

6. The structure of claim 4,

wherein adjustment means are provided for moving said positioner arms toward and from each other,

wherein the adjustment means comprises a pretensioned adjustment screw,

wherein bearing means are provided for rotatably journalling said adjustment screw adjacent its opposite ends,

wherein other means cooperating with said bearing means are provided to pretension said screw,

wherein said adjustment screw has operative connection with said support and positioner arms,

and wherein a stalling motor has driving connection with said adjustment screw.

7. The structure of claim 4,

wherein a pair of lead off arms is mounted on said shaft in xed relation with respect thereto and extend upwardly therefrom in an opposite angular direction from said positioner arms, and have a lead OIT roll on the end thereof,

and wherein the base arms and positioner arms are movable about the axis of said shaft into retracted positions along said lead off arms, to provide a clear path for loading a roll of paper on said Winder from the side thereof.

8. An unwinding stand for rolls of paper and the like,

a frame,

a shaft mounted on said frame,

a pair of spaced positioner arms mounted on said frame for translational movement therealong toward and from each other, and for rotatable movement about the axis of said shaft,

said positioner arms having free ends having stub shafts supported for rotation with respect thereto,

for rotatably supporting a roll of paper between said arms for unwinding, and means for positioning said arms and stub shafts in operative supporting association with a roll comprising,

a single adjustment screw having spaced oppositely threaded portions, bearing means rotatably supporting said screw adjacent its oposite ends, including thrust bearings holding said screw from translational movement, and means cooperating with said thrust bearings for preloading said screw under tension, and a separate positioner nut threaded on each opposite threaded portion of said screw and secured to an associated arm for positioning said arms into gripping engagement with a roll of paper upon rotation of said shaft in a direction to move said nuts toward each other. 9. The structure of claim 8, wherein a stalling motor has drive connection with said adjustment screw and positively locks said arms in their gripping positions. 10. The structure of claim 9, wherein the motor is an air motor having a motor shaft coaxial with said adjustment screw. 11. The structure of claim 8, wherein second arms are disposed outwardly of said positioner arms and are mounted on said shaft for pivotal movement about the axis thereof and are retained from translational movement along said shaft, wherein the bearing support means for said bearing means are mounted on said second mentioned arms on the outer sides of said positioner arms, wherein the pretensioning means tensions said adjustment screw against said bearing support means, and wherein a stalling motor is directly connected with said adjustment screw for rotatably driving said screw and continually exerting pressure on said arms to force said arms into gripping engagement with a roll. 12. The structure of claim 11, wherein the motor is a stalling air motor having a motor shaft coaxially aligned with the axis of said adjustment screw, and continually supplied with air to take up and lock said arms in their gripping positions. 13. An unwinder stand for rolls of paper and the like comprising:

a frame,

a pair of roll positioner arms mounted on said frame for translational movement toward and from each other into gripping engagement with a roll of paper,

and preloaded motor driven adjustment means for said arms rotatably mounted on said frame and having operative adjustable connection with said arms, and translationally moving said arms into gripping engagement with the roll and exerting a continuous take up force on the roll, locking said arms in their gripping engaging positions, comprising,

a pretensioned adjustment screw,

bearing means for rotatably journalling said adjustment screw adjacent its opposite ends,

other means cooperating with said bearing means to pretension `said screw,

spaced positioner nuts oppositely threaded on said screw and mounted on said arms for movement toward and from each other upon rotation of said screw, and

a stalling motor, stalling upon movement of said arms into gripping engagement with the roll of paper and locking said arms into gripping engagement with the roll of paper by stalling of said motor, having driving connection with said adjustment screw.

9 10 14. The structure of claim 13, References Cited wherein the bearing -means include radial anti-friction UNITED STATES PATENTS bearings and thrust bearings disposed inwardly there- 2,561,146 7/1951 Serg 242-58.6

of, and wherein the means pretensionin said screw tensions said screw against said thrust?y bearings. 5 LEONARD D CHRISTIAN Prmary Exammer' 15. The structure of claim 13, U.S. C1. X.R. wherein the stalling motor is an air motor continually 242 79 maintained under pressure to continually take up on the arms and positively lock the arms into gripping engagement with the roll of paper. 10 

